Adventures in Enterprise Computing

Amazon Makes the Kindle Fire an Easy Target for a Thief

Having recieved a Kindle Fire this year, I was really surprised at the unpacking process and minimal security. While the device is very nice, the whole unpacking process made me realize that the Kindle Fire is a package thief’s dream. Here’s a few reason why:

Packaging
One thing that makes stealing a Kinlde Fire easy is the packaging, Amazon makes it quite clear what is in the box. When it arrives to your door, or your bulding’s mail room, the package is clearly marked with the words “Kindle Fire” all over it. In my case, the package sat in our building lobby clearly advertising what’s inside:

This makes it really easy to identify which package has the 7-inch tablet inside.

Automatic Sign-In
When I first opened the package and turned on the Kindle for the 1st time, it skipped past the sign-in screen since my wife’s credentials where already entered and she was automatically logged into Amazon. At first, this seemed like a nice touch for folks like my grandmother who don’t quite get sign-in procedures. However, this approach has far more cons than advantages.

1-Click Enabled by Default
The real kicker is that 1-Click is enabled by default. When you purchase content, you are never prompted for a password. This gives potential gift takers an added bonus: the ability to purchase Amazon content on your dime. And if you have kids, they can snag games as often as they want.

So if you’re considering getting an Amazon Kindle for someone this year, make sure you check the box that says “this is a gift” as this will make sure the device doesn’t sign you in automatically when you get it. Even if you’re going to get it for yourself, this is probably a good thing to do. Second, if you live in an apartment building or condo, you might want to consider shipping the box to your work or someplace where the box isn’t in plain sight.